1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of pathology, and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus to diagnose the metastatic or progressive potential of cancer, fibrosis and other diseases.
2. Description of Related Art
Determining the potential for cancer to metastasize or other diseases such as lung fibrosis to progress and become fatal has profound implications in patient treatment as well as the development of new therapies and treatments. Predicting how a disease will progress given various or no treatment options is of tremendous value to the practitioner, the patient, and also to the medical research community. Unfortunately, the various diagnostic tools available today do not provide predictions with a sufficient degree of confidence, and as such, over treatment or non-targeted treatment is common. With treatments such as chemotherapy, this approach has profound health implications for the patient, both physical and mental. What is needed is a method and apparatus to diagnose the metastatic or progressive potential of various diseases such as cancer, fibrosis, and the like.